communities and citizenship - Havas Worldwide Prosumer Reports

BUILDING COMMUNITIES OF SOCIAL MEDIA USERS
When people believe they have a duty to change the
world, any tool that fosters transparency and offers both
knowledge and instantaneous global communication will be
enthusiastically employed. Such is the case with
social media, which in just a few years has emerged
as the most potent tool ever available to ordinary
citizens worldwide. Nearly all of our study respondents
(98 percent of Prosumers and 85 percent of the mainstream)
use social media at least once a day, and nearly half the
total sample and a majority of millennials say it has made
them more politically aware and active. Information gleaned
through Twitter, Facebook, and other social sites helps
people find out what’s happening, better understand it, and
perhaps even do something about it. We’ve seen the power
of this new communications channel again and again, from
Iran’s Green Revolution to the instant fact-checking during
political debates and eyewitness reports chronicling the
progression and destruction of Superstorm Sandy. It’s how
information spreads today, especially in times of crisis.
Six in 10 respondents—and nearly 8 in 10 Prosumers—
believe social media gives ordinary citizens an
extraordinary ability to influence others and create change.
This sentiment is especially widely held in emerging markets,
where 68 percent of respondents agreed with this statement,
compared with just 49 percent of those in developed markets.
In places where control has traditionally been in the hands
of the few, social media may well offer the single most
important pathway to power.
Four in 10 respondents say social media already has made
them more influential and powerful. A third are using it to
change the world for the better, and 42 percent expect to use
it more in the future to promote worthy causes. They believe
that social media−empowered citizens will be the single
greatest agent of change in coming years—more impactful
than either government or big business. What may have
started out as a way to keep in touch with friends
has become something far more potent.
“Social media gives ordinary people an extraordinary
ability to influence others and create change”
prosumers
mainstream
(Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat)
age 18–34
age 35–54
age 55+
africa
asia-pacific
78 55 66 58 44 80 68 45
europe
latin america
middle east
73 65 54
north america
Which of the following do you believe
will be the greatest agent of change?
43 % 33 % 21 % 26 % 20 % 25 %
16 % 15 %
The people, empowered
by social media
Government/politicians
What we consume
Corporations and
companies
Please rate your agreement or disagreement
with the following statements:
(Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat)
Prosumers
Mainstream
PROSUMERS
MAINSTREAM
AGE 18–34
100
80
60
100
80
60
100
80
60
AGE 35–54
40
40
40
AGE 55+
20
20
20
0
0
0
SOCIAL MEDIA HAS MADE ME
MORE POLITICALLY AWARE/ACTIVE
SOCIAL MEDIA HAS MADE ME
MORE INFLUENTIAL/POWERFUL
I USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO CHANGE
THE WORLD FOR THE BETTER
Communities and Citizenship: Redesigned for a New World 13 15